My stomach twisted as I settled on the seat. The ski lift began its ascent to the top and my heart dropped. I focused on the snow covered trees and the sky ahead. Anything to keep my eyes from the ground below. Heights have long been a source of fear and this was no exception.
Stabilizing Your Heart and Mind
The lift lurched to a stop. My breath caught and my grip on the metal bar tightened. We dangled some 30 feet in the air suspended by a swaying arm and a length of cable. I could feel fear engulfing me, threatening to extinguish the joy of the day. I slowly took a breath and then intentionally took those fears captive. When my eyes would stray to the ground below, I wrenched my mind away from the precipice of ‘what ifs’ and deliberately stabilized my heart and mind on God. I had to re-focus my thoughts.
As I looked ahead of me, the distance from where I sat to the end of the ski lift seemed interminable, especially as I sat with skis dangling far above “terra firma”. If I had let my mind dwell on the trepidation I was feeling, panic would have ensued. Instead, I looked up. Isn’t that what we all need to do? “When in doubt, when fears threaten, look up.”
The grinding of cables signaled the start of the lift again and as my skis hit snow, I was reminded that fear does not need to govern my actions. Nor does fear need to take up resident in my heart and mind. It’s a choice I need to make. Not an easy choice at times, but a choice, nonetheless.
Defining Life with Courage
Hadassah was orphaned at a young age. She grew up in the city of Shushan under the guardianship of her cousin, Mordecai. Fear was not a stranger to her life. However, Esther, as she is also called, did not let fear define her life. She did not let fear govern her actions.
Forced to become a part of the royal beauty pageant, Esther faced unknown entities, as well as an apprehension about the future. Fear over what was ahead could have been her undoing. Yet, as we walk with her through the surprising twists of her story we find Esther letting courage define her actions.
Surprisingly, there is no mention of God in the Book of Esther. However, God’s hand was at work in the affairs of palace life. Similarly, there will be times in our lives that it feels like God has left us alone and dangling out of reach of all solutions. Yet, we must remember that God is always at work, whether his hand is evident to us or not.
Esther chose to cloak her actions in courageous faith. Her response to the unknown was a simple faith that all would be well. Although anxiety threatened to overwhelm her she accepted the rest and care given in the period of waiting and preparation. When it came time to be presented to the king, she chose to trust her welfare to Hegai, the king’s eunach. (Esther 2:15)
Consequently, the king chose Esther to become his queen. A flourishing and successful existence lay before her. However, life once again took a turn for Esther. Life doesn’t stay comfortable for long. Complications and trials will always be a part of life here on earth.
Capturing Fearful Thoughts
The death sentence for the Jewish people threw Esther into a tailspin. Fear filled Esther’s heart as she realized that Mordecai wanted her to go before the king and plead for mercy.
No one was to enter the king’s presence, unless invited. Death could result. The way before her seemed too hard. Yet, Esther chose to face her fear. She urged Mordecai to fast and pray for three days, while she and her maidens did the same. Esther courageously took captive the fear that threatened to cripple her actions. She prepared the best she knew, and walked into the king’s throne room with the knowledge that she had been brought to the kingdom for this purpose.
The story ends victoriously for Esther’s people. They were given the right to fight against the soldiers that had been charged with their killing. God strengthened and spared his people.
Moving Forward with Intention
We are often caught in the middle of life. Fear grapples for a hold on our hearts. Apprehension and dread cloak our minds. However, unless we are able to recognize the fear that stalks us and realize that our actions need not be dictated by our fears, nothing will change.
Just as I gripped the metal bar on the ski lift, so must we grasp the hand of God in trust. There will be times he will lead us to rest and release. A time when we let go of our fears to gain a new perspective.
At other times, a deep breath and a courageous move forward will bring the victory. Occasionally, an interminable wait spans the way in front of us. It is then we must look up. Up into the face of Jesus. He will keep us through the wait.
Don’t let fears take up residence in your heart and mind. Determine to create new pathways of thought through stabilizing your mind on the Word of God. Work at memorizing the promises of God. Take captive the dread that encroaches into the territory of your mind. Move forward with intention. Let God’s Word transform your thoughts and choose to let God’s principles determine your course of action.
Refocusing your Heart
There will be heart-lurching days. Days that we will feel far away from any firm landing. In the days ahead, when fear threatens to spell defeat, ask God to intervene. When the ski lift of life is dangling you above the precipice of ‘what if’s’ fix your thoughts on things above. Refocus your heart. (Colossians 3:2) Don’t give the reins of your mind to the taskmaster of fear. Listen for the whisper of God’s Spirit. Instead of fear dictating your activity or lack there of, let God govern your actions and define your life.
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